tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-261073102018-08-13T07:46:31.785-04:00The FEHBlogAn Ermer Law Group PLLC service providing Federal Employees Health Benefits Program and general health benefits law and policy information -- but not legal adviceDavid Ermerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11841542810249024908noreply@blogger.comBlogger2396125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-26107310.post-21401518907041274342018-08-12T19:36:00.003-04:002018-08-12T19:36:28.517-04:00Weekend updateThe Senate returns to Capitol Hill this week while the House of Representatives are in their home districts. This Week in Congress has returned to the internet after being off the air for four months. While the first line of their report is incorrect, the FEHBlog finds the one pager to be useful.
On the mergers and acquisitions front, Bloomberg reports that both of the major shareholder proxy David Ermerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11841542810249024908noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-26107310.post-84709560230038518612018-08-10T09:27:00.002-04:002018-08-10T09:27:54.045-04:00TGIFLet's kick of this post with some healthcare related mergers and acquisitions updates --
Forbes offers a useful update on the status of the CVS Health acquisition of Aetna. Cautious optimism abounds. "CVS narrowed the window of time when executives believe the deal will close. CVS now says the Aetna transaction will close in the later part of the third quarter or the “early part” of the David Ermerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11841542810249024908noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-26107310.post-48319060159236489052018-08-09T07:04:00.001-04:002018-08-09T07:04:13.980-04:00Postal Service Reform Committee UpdateThe FEHBlog in interested in the President's Postal Service Reform Committee because the Postal Reform bills in Congress (e.g., HR 756) would create a Postal Service Health Benefits Program within the FEHBP. OPM Director Pon sits on the Committee which Treasury Secretary Mnuchin chairs.
Congress has paused work on its bill pending consideration of this report, which is scheduled to be submitted David Ermerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11841542810249024908noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-26107310.post-63976133316125460402018-08-07T20:59:00.002-04:002018-08-07T20:59:48.140-04:00Tuesday's TidbitsHealthcare Dive reports that Carl Icahn has gone public with this campaign to defeat the proposed merger of Cigna and Express Scripts. The Wall Street Journal adds that
[Mr. Icahn] suggests that Cigna instead strike a multiyear partnership with a pharmacy-benefit manager—potentially Express Scripts—and buy back stock.
Cigna said in a statement Tuesday that Mr. Icahn appears to be making a David Ermerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11841542810249024908noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-26107310.post-66722751527905327952018-08-05T20:50:00.003-04:002018-08-07T07:41:11.572-04:00Weekend updateBoth Houses of Congress are out of town this coming week, although the Senate will be back here for the week of August 13. Before leaving town, the Senate passed 92-6 its amended version of the interior department minibus appropriations bill (HR 6147) which includes OPM and FEHBP appropriations. The two Houses of Congress now must establish a conference committee to resolve differences between David Ermerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11841542810249024908noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-26107310.post-68163555923931379872018-08-03T07:32:00.000-04:002018-08-03T07:32:33.208-04:00TGIFThe FEHBlog nearly fell out his breakfast nook yesterday morning when he read in the Wall Street Journal that
Activist investor Carl Icahn has built a sizable stake in Cigna Corp. and plans to vote against the health insurer’s $54 billion purchase of Express Scripts Holding Co., the latest sign of trouble for the planned tie-up.
Mr. Icahn, whose stake amounts to less than 5% of Cigna’s shares David Ermerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11841542810249024908noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-26107310.post-77723742178501748052018-08-01T07:56:00.001-04:002018-08-01T08:00:57.956-04:00Mid-week updateMedpage Today reported on yesterday's Senate Health Education Labor and Pensions Committee third hearing on controlling health care costs. This hearing focused on administrative savings.
CMS announced yesterday that "for the second year in a row, the average basic premium for a Medicare Part D prescription drug plan in 2019 is projected to decline. At a time when health insurance premiums are David Ermerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11841542810249024908noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-26107310.post-11788918275417215132018-07-29T19:33:00.002-04:002018-07-29T19:33:26.575-04:00Weekend UpdateThe U.S. House of Representatives started its August recess last week. The Washington Examiner reports on the Senate's plans for the coming week as it remains at work on Capitol Hill. The FEHBlog noticed that the Senate Health Education Labor and Pensions Committee will be holding a full Committee hearing on healthcare spending on Tuesday beginning at 10 am.
The Office of Personnel Management David Ermerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11841542810249024908noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-26107310.post-24803990722906187012018-07-27T14:07:00.002-04:002018-07-27T14:19:23.041-04:00TGIF Govexec.com and Federal News Radio also reported on yesterday's Senate subcommittee hearing features OPM Director Dr. Jeff Pon and GSA Administrator Emily Murphy, if you are interested in their perspectives.
Employee Benefit News adds some details on the House of Representatives' HSA bill passed earlier this week. To wit -- the bill, if approved by the Senate, would
allow [High Deductible David Ermerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11841542810249024908noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-26107310.post-65444075124277881942018-07-26T20:34:00.002-04:002018-07-26T20:34:28.395-04:00Whither OPM / the Senate HSGAC Subcommittee HearingAs planned, the FEHBlog attended the Senate Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs subcommittee hearing today concerning how the Administration's government reorganization plan impacts OPM and GSA. To recap, that plan would move the OPM policy shop to the Executive Office of the President, move the background check program to the Defense Department, and move OPM's other operations, including David Ermerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11841542810249024908noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-26107310.post-9823251092764120282018-07-25T20:13:00.002-04:002018-07-25T20:15:12.288-04:00Midweek updateThe U.S. House of Representatives this week has passed a series of healthcare related bills of interest to readers:
A bill to repeal the ACA's anti-innovation medical device tax, which currently is suspended (H.R. 184).
A bill that would expand the availability and utility of health savings accounts (inside and outside the ACA's heath insurance exchanges (H.R. 6311). The bill would permit David Ermerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11841542810249024908noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-26107310.post-54498315065740144682018-07-24T21:19:00.003-04:002018-07-24T21:19:48.203-04:00Whither OPM?Federal News Radio reports that
Following the General Services Administration’s lead, the Office of Personnel Management named an experienced executive to lead its reorganization effort.
Sources confirmed Kathleen McGettigan, OPM’s chief management officer, is heading up the intra-agency task force to “break up” the agency under the Trump administration reorganization plan.
A subcommittee of David Ermerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11841542810249024908noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-26107310.post-38890963234052186292018-07-22T18:50:00.004-04:002018-07-22T18:50:43.780-04:00Weekend updateCongress remains in session on Capitol Hill this week. The House of Representatives heads off on its August recess at the end of this week. The Senate will continue in session for a few more weeks after this one.
Last week the House of Representatives passed on basically a party line vote a "minibus" appropriations bill, H.R. 6147, for the Interior Department, EPA, and Financial Services and David Ermerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11841542810249024908noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-26107310.post-81737641521439827552018-07-20T11:55:00.003-04:002018-07-20T11:55:43.724-04:00TGIFGreetings from Amtrak.
Following up on Wednesday's post, Senators Lankford and Heitkamp yesterday announced a hearing to be held on Thursday July 26 to discuss "The Challenges and Opportunities of the Proposed Government Reorganization on OPM and GSA." The FEHBlog will be tuning in.
A lot has been happening on the prescription drug front
Per the Wall Street Journal, two major manufacturers David Ermerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11841542810249024908noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-26107310.post-79290341732521177922018-07-18T16:13:00.001-04:002018-07-18T16:13:42.530-04:00Mid-week updateThe FEHBlog listened to a good chunk of this morning's Senate Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs hearing on the President's government reorganization plan. The witness before the Committee was OMB Deputy Director for Management Margaret Weichert. The FEHBlog learned that OMB's top reorganization priority is to move employee background checks from OPM to the Defense Department. Other top David Ermerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11841542810249024908noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-26107310.post-35966204345216547202018-07-15T21:14:00.001-04:002018-07-15T21:14:12.373-04:00Weekend updateCongress remains at work on Capitol Hill this coming week. The Senate Health Education Labor and Pensions Committee will be holding another hearing on Tuesday morning about reducing health care costs. The Senate Homeland Security and Government Affairs Committee will hold a hearing on the President's government reorganization plan on Wednesday morning. OMB Deputy Director Margaret Weichert will David Ermerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11841542810249024908noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-26107310.post-41248746635507876412018-07-13T17:32:00.002-04:002018-07-13T17:32:29.077-04:00TGIF
Plan Sponsor reports on a package of healthcare related bills that the full House Ways and Means Committee approved at a mark up meeting held yesterday, including:
H.R. 6301, which provides that a plan shall not be fail to be treated as a high deductible health plan (HDHP) by reason of failing to have a deductible for not more than $250 of specified services (twice such amount in the case of David Ermerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11841542810249024908noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-26107310.post-52059196770345692132018-07-12T19:46:00.000-04:002018-07-12T19:47:39.067-04:00Thursday RoundupThe FEHBlog discovered that the OPM Inspector General has posted on the internet his semi-annual report to Congress for the period ended March 31, 2018, and the agency has posted its management response to that report.
OPM today issued a final rule terminating effective September 30, 2018, the program offering stepchild coverage under the FEHBP and FEDVIP to the children of/ C domestic partners David Ermerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11841542810249024908noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-26107310.post-56330944078850554992018-07-10T20:05:00.002-04:002018-07-10T20:21:23.855-04:00Tuesday TidbitsFollowing up on a number of recent posts:
Federal News Radio reports that
The Justice Department jumped the gun in June when it claimed a Maryland woman pleaded guilty for using data stolen from the 2015 breach of the Office of Personnel Management to obtain fraudulent loans. In a letter to Sen. Mark Warner (D-Va.), Justice Assistant Attorney General Stephen Boyd said DoJ reached a “David Ermerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11841542810249024908noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-26107310.post-26817655753960579712018-07-08T17:51:00.001-04:002018-07-08T17:51:05.033-04:00Weekend updateThe Senate and House of Representatives return to work on Capitol Hill this week following a week-long state or district work period combined with the Independence Day holiday.
Federal News Radio reports that tomorrow, OPM will publish in the Federal Register a proposed rule
to establish Birmingham/Hoover/Talladega, Alabama; Burlington/South Burlington, Vermont; San Antonio/New Braunfels/David Ermerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11841542810249024908noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-26107310.post-51288189672712482352018-07-06T14:56:00.003-04:002018-07-06T14:56:56.314-04:00TGIFThe Society for Human Resource Management calls attention to the fact that the House-passed bill addressing the opioid crisis (H.R. 6) "contains a provision extending the amount of time that employer-sponsored health plans [including FEHB plans] must cover end-stage renal disease under Medicare secondary payer rules from 30 months to 33 months." That would be a bitter pill for those plans to David Ermerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11841542810249024908noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-26107310.post-19010909538114445502018-07-02T16:40:00.000-04:002018-07-02T16:40:12.708-04:00Holiday week updateCongress is out of town this week for the Fourth of July holiday. The Supreme Court wrapped up its October 2017 term last week. Of course, the Supreme Court remains in the news because Justice Kennedy announced his retirement from the bench.
Fierce Healthcare offers a report on healthcare provider views on lowering costs in the healthcare system. The panel consensus is to lower regulatory David Ermerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11841542810249024908noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-26107310.post-56057473402460323662018-06-29T15:18:00.002-04:002018-06-29T15:18:47.379-04:00TGIFGreeting from Madison Wisconsin whether the FEHBlog and his wife are helping their daughter celebrate her wedding on Friday. A lot has been happening in the healthcare world so duty calls.
Here are links to Bloomberg Government and FCW.com articles on last Wednesday's House Oversight and Government reform committee hearing on the President's federal government reorganization plan. Also here's aDavid Ermerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11841542810249024908noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-26107310.post-41030457484449084202018-06-26T21:01:00.001-04:002018-07-02T15:49:27.586-04:00Tuesday TidbitsHere's a link to the testimony from today's Senate Finance Committee hearing on prescription drug prices at which HHS Secretary Alex Azar testified.
Tomorrow morning at 10 am, the House Oversight and Government Reform Committee will hold a hearing at which OMB Deputy Director for Management Margaret Weichert will testify about the President's reorganization plan. Last week, the FEHBlog linked toDavid Ermerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11841542810249024908noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-26107310.post-88870636883503069662018-06-24T20:04:00.001-04:002018-06-24T20:04:27.173-04:00Weekend updateCongress is in session for one more week until it takes time off for the Independence Day holiday. The U.S. Supreme Court ends its October 2017 term this week.
The Senate Finance Committee will hold a hearing on prescription drug costs on Tuesday morning June 26. The scheduled witness is the HHS Secretary Alex Azar.
A few weeks ago, the FEHBlog called readers attention to a David Ermerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11841542810249024908noreply@blogger.com0